Jill Ellis facts for kids
Ellis at the Algarve Cup in March 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jillian Anne Ellis | ||
| Date of birth | 6 September 1966 | ||
| Place of birth | Folkestone, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | San Diego Wave FC (president) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 1981–1984 | Robinson Rams | ||
| –1984 | Braddock Road Bluebelles | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 1988–1990 | NC State Wolfpack (assistant) | ||
| 1994–1996 | Maryland Terrapins (assistant) | ||
| 1996–1997 | Virginia Cavaliers (assistant) | ||
| 1997–1998 | Illinois Fighting Illini | ||
| 1999–2010 | UCLA Bruins | ||
| 2000 | United States U21 | ||
| 2005 | United States U21 | ||
| 2007 | United States U20 | ||
| 2008 | United States (assistant) | ||
| 2009–2010 | United States U20 | ||
| 2011–2012 | United States (assistant) | ||
| 2012 | United States (interim) | ||
| 2014 | United States (interim) | ||
| 2014–2019 | United States | ||
Jillian Anne Ellis (born 6 September 1966) is an English-American football manager and executive. She is currently a top leader at FIFA, helping to guide soccer around the world. Before this, she was the president of San Diego Wave FC, a women's soccer team.
Ellis is famous for coaching the U.S. women's national team from 2014 to 2019. During her time as coach, the team won two FIFA Women's World Cup titles in a row, in 2015 and 2019. This made her the second coach ever to win two World Cups back-to-back, after Vittorio Pozzo who coached Italy's men's team in the 1930s. After stepping down as coach, she became an ambassador for the United States Soccer Federation, working to help more women become coaches.
Contents
Early Life and Playing Career
Jill Ellis was born in Folkestone, England, and grew up in a village called Cowplain. In the 1970s, there wasn't organised football for girls in the UK. So, Jill didn't play in a team until her family moved to the United States in 1981.
In the U.S., she became the captain of the Robinson Secondary School team in Fairfax, Virginia. She led them to win the state championship in 1984. In the same year, she also won a national title with her club team, the Braddock Road Bluebelles.
Ellis then played as a forward at William & Mary from 1984 to 1987. She was named a third-team All-American in 1987. During her four years there, she scored 32 goals.
Coaching and Leadership Career
Jill Ellis has a special coaching license called the USSF Pro coaching license. She has coached many teams, including youth national teams and college teams. She also worked as a development director for U.S. Soccer.
College Coaching
Ellis started her coaching career as an assistant coach at three universities:
- Maryland (1994–1996)
- Virginia (1996–1997)
- NC State (1988–1990)
At NC State, she helped the team win the 1988 Atlantic Coast Conference title and reach the NCAA Women's College Cup.
She then became the head coach for the Illinois women's soccer team for two years (1997–1999). In 1998, she led them to their first-ever Big Ten Tournament.
Ellis later coached the UCLA team for many years. She led them to the NCAA Women's College Cup eight times. They also won six Pacific-10 Conference titles in a row from 2003 to 2008. In 2000, she was named the NSCAA National Coach of the Year. Her total college coaching record was 248 wins, 63 losses, and 14 ties.
National Youth Teams Manager
Jill Ellis also coached the U.S. national youth teams. She led the under-21 women's team to win the Nordic Cup title twice, in Germany in 2000 and in Sweden in 2005. In 2010, she guided the U.S. under-20 women's national team to win the CONCACAF title.
National Development Director
In 2011, U.S. Soccer appointed Ellis as the development director for the U.S. women's national teams. This was a new role to help oversee and develop young women's national teams. In this role, Ellis worked with coaches from youth clubs and guided the U.S. under-17, under-15, and under-14 teams.
National Team Manager
Ellis was a scout for the U.S. women's national team at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. She also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. women's national team that won a gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
Interim Coach in 2012 and 2014
After the head coach left in 2012, Ellis became the interim head coach for the United States women's national soccer team. Her first games were against Germany in October 2012. The U.S. team had 5 wins and 2 ties under her interim coaching.
In April 2014, she was again appointed interim head coach. During this time, the team won against China and tied with Canada.
Appointed Head Coach in 2014
On 16 May 2014, Jill Ellis was officially named the permanent head coach of the U.S. women's national team. Her main goal was to win the 2015 Women's World Cup. On 5 July 2015, she led the team to a 5–2 victory over Japan to win the World Cup! For this amazing achievement, she was named the 2015 FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women's Football.
In 2016, the U.S. team won the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship. However, they faced challenges at the 2016 Summer Olympics. They were eliminated by Sweden in a penalty shootout. This was the first time the U.S. team did not reach the gold medal game at the Olympics.
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Before a friendly match against Thailand, Ellis asked U.S. team midfielder Megan Rapinoe not to kneel during the national anthem. Rapinoe had done this in other games. Ellis did not punish Rapinoe after the game.
On 7 July 2019, Ellis led the U.S. Women's National Team to win their fourth World Cup title, and her second in a row. They beat the Netherlands 2–0 in the final match in Lyon, France. The 2019 team also set a world record for scoring the most goals in a tournament, with 26 goals.
On 30 July 2019, U.S. Soccer announced that Ellis would be stepping down as coach. She continued to work with the team during their World Cup victory tour and then became an ambassador for U.S. Soccer.
Coaching Record
| Team | Years | Matches | Won | Tied | Lost | Win % | Pts÷M | World Cup | Olympics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2012 (interim), 2014–2019 | 132 | 106 | 19 | 7 | 87.5 | 2.55 |  |
5th |
San Diego Wave FC President
In June 2021, Jill Ellis became the president of San Diego Wave FC. This is a new team in the National Women's Soccer League. She helped build the team, hiring Casey Stoney as the first head coach and Molly Downtain as the first general manager.
Personal Life
Jill Ellis was born in England. Her father, John Ellis, was a former Royal Marine and a football ambassador for the British government. He helped create football programs around the world. In 1981, her family moved to Northern Virginia in the U.S., where her father started a soccer academy. Jill's brother, Paul, also became a football coach.
Jill Ellis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Composition from the College of William and Mary in 1988. She also studied for a master's degree at North Carolina State University.
Jill Ellis lives in Palmetto Bay, Florida. She is married to Betsy Stephenson, and they have an adopted daughter named Lily. Jill, her parents, and her brother are all naturalized American citizens. In 2022, Ellis was honored with the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrant Award.
Honors and Awards
- Third-Team All-American in 1987 (as a player)
Managerial Honors
Collegiate
- 1988 Atlantic Coast Conference title (as assistant coach of NC State Wolfpack)
- 2000 NSCAA National Coach of the Year (as head coach of UCLA Bruins)
- Six straight Pacific-10 Conference titles from 2003 to 2008 (as head coach of UCLA Bruins)
United States Women
- Nordic Cup title at Germany 2000 under-21 tournament (as coach of youth teams)
- 2010 under-20 CONCACAF title (as coach of youth teams)
- Beijing 2008 Olympic Gold medal (as assistant coach of senior team)
- 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship (1st place)
- 2015 Algarve Cup (1st place)
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 2015, 2019
- 2015 CONCACAF Women's Coach of the Year
- 2015, 2019 FIFA World Women's Coach of the Year
See also
In Spanish: Jill Ellis para niños
- Vittorio Pozzo, the first manager to win FIFA World Cup consecutively while coaching the same team.
